I’ve just completed a review of the Hulgas Ensemble’s 15-CD boxset A Secret Labyrinth, and I thought I’d post it here also for convenience. Enjoy!
I already had the Agricola CD from this set, so I knew what to expect; and I was definitely satisfied: an almost dreamy sound, yet extremely well-define, and technically brilliant. Many of the other discs additionally have an innovative (yet extremely appropriate) use of instrumental accompaniment. Paul van Nevel and his choir explore some of the wonderful music from the Renaissance (and just before), and this is an incredible bargain for a 15-CD set. Yet, this is certainly not just another “greatest Renaissance hits” collection—the selections were such that I was unfamiliar with upwards of ⅔ of the music—and some (in particular the Agricola) are sufficiently mind-blowing that they remain as fresh as ever upon every single listening.
A short overview of each disc, in order (as found in the box set, generally chronological):
- Codex Las Huelgas—Music from 13th Century Spain
The sopranos of the Huelgas Ensemble feature heavily here, with many pieces having a lilting string instrument accompaniment. Most of these motets are two-part, with some lovely 3-part (but organum-style) writing on the Agnus Dei track. There’s also wonderful and thoughtful use of vocal ornamentation, and look out for Benedicamus Domino (one of the few pieces I recognised), with it’s alarming text-setting and dissonance.
- Febus Avant!—Music at the Court of Gaston Febus (C14th)
This disc samples the sometimes bizarre, and certainly obsessively convoluted style of the Ars subtilior. The works by Trebor and Solage in particular are perhaps not pieces to start off with if you’re just getting into medieval music! ‘Febus mundo Oriens’ is a breath of fresh air, however, with some lovely wind instrument accompaniments too. This will definitely be among the most curious discs in your collection!
- Music from the Court of King Janus at Nicosia (c. 1400)
The last of the medieval repertoire in this set, this has some more Ars subtilior-style intricate polyphony, and also some fuller, more joyful pieces (the first piece being for quite a large ensemble). A couple of very beautiful songs (similar to Machaut, though for some reason none of his works feature here), in particular ‘Si doulcement’, and an appearance from quite a few rather brash shawms in ‘Personet armonia’.
This disc is basically a survey of the most mind-blowing large-scale polyphonic Renaissance works that have been unearthed so far. The sublime master piece of masterpieces here is surely Thomas Tallis’ 40-part motet ‘Spem in Alium’, conveniently placed at the beginning of the disc—but there is a lot more in store. Two mind-boggling canons, ‘Qui habitat’ (in 24 parts) and ‘Deo gratias’ (in 36 parts), by Josquin and Ockeghem respectively, are the two middle tracks, surrounded by a selection of some of the larger motets of Porta, Manchicourt and Gabrieli. The disc ends with ‘Ecce beatam lucem’, the 40-part motet that is said to have inspired ‘Spem in Alium’—while certainly fabulous, Tallis’s masterwork surely surpasses it .All in all, in my opinion this disc alone is reason to buy this set!
- Alexander Agricola—A Secret Labyrinth
Perhaps the most “experimental” of Paul van Nevel’s concoctions, this disc will irrevocably change your perspective on Renaissance music. A collection of songs and mass movements by Alexander Agricola, a contemporary of Josquin. The combination of almost medieval melodic writing, astounding technical fireworks and innovative harmonic language has to be heard to believe. In particular, listen out for the rollercoaster ride that is ‘D’ung aultre amer’, and try desperately to count the key changes as they whizz past in the two Hosannas in the Sanctus from the Missa Re-Fa-Mi-Re-Fa. This disc too is reason enough to buy this set!
- Matthaeus Pipelare—Missa ‘L’homme armé’, Chansons, Motets
A charming little collection; if you like the particularly peaceful works of Ockeghem, Josquin, Brumel, andc., you will enjoy this disc. Predctably, comes with Yet Another Mass Setting Of L’Hommé Armé™—but a very pleasant one, nonetheless.
- Antoine Brumel—Missa ‘Et ecce terrae motus’, Sequentia ‘Dies irae’
The full choir are on fine form here in Brumel’s famed “Earthquake” mass, a piece which really pushed the boundaries when it was written—Brumel was only born in 1460, yet here is a through-composed mass for twelve voices. Truly incredible. Turn the volume up to full, and let the waves of sound washing over you remind you of…earthquakes…or something. Concludes with a sombre, intense setting of the Dies Irae, nicely enhanced with some wind instruments.
- Mateo Flecha el Viejo—Las Ensaladas, Burlesques of the Spanish Renaissance
Upbeat and highly entertaining, these burlesques are an interesting precursor to opera, and could be compared with Monteverdi’s later concerted madrigal style. Plenty of drumming and instrumental interludes enliven this, with some spoken (and shouted!) interludes too. Mateo Flecha has a brilliant knack for story-telling, and the words are generally rather amusing.
- Costanzo Festa—Magnificat, Mass parts, Motets, Madrigals
Another contemporary of Josquin, but unusually this time, an Italian! One of the first foreigners to challenge the Franco-Flemish musical dominance of the early to mid-Renaissance, Festa’s lanugage is reminiscent of Palestrina (unsurprisingly), yet his works are strangely (but beautifully) mournful. Here there are prototype madrigals, clearly influenced by the contemporary Franco-Flemish chansons. Paul van Nevel gives many of these pieces appropriate viol- or recorder-consort accompaniments, meaning many of them end up as solo songs on top of extended instrumental fantasias, which combined with the brilliant melodic writing produces a lovely calm effect. The disc ends with a long, unaccompanied Magnificat, which remains fairly subdued throughout, and is particularly Josquin-esque.
- Nicolas Gombert—Music from the Court of Charles V
The most significant follower of Josquin, Gombert retained Josquin’s contrapuntal perfection while advancing his harmonic and melodic language (watch out for sudden false relations!) After some rather sad-sounding motets and chansons, the Magnificat fails to impress me all that much (in my mind, the melodic writing Clemens non Papa is more beautiful). However, all is not lost, as the Missa Tempore paschli kicks off in a rather remote mode, and is a generally more satisfying affair, with Gombert attempting some slightly more rapid part-writing. All inall, very slightly disappointing (I expect better of Gombert!), but only because the rest of the compilation sets such a high standard.
- Pierre de Manchicourt—Missa Veni Sancte Spiritus, Motets, Chansons
I expect wonderful things of Manchicourt, and this disc gets off to a great start with the well-known motet Reges Terrae. Manchicourt was a Franco-Flemish composer who moved to Spain, helping to spread this style throughout Europe. The mass and motets here are full-on affairs, and (I think) I can detect some proto-Tallis/Victoria here. You’ll appreciate this disc if you’re drawn to some of the more upbeat mature works of Josquin, or are already into Morales and other composers of the Spanish tradition that Manchicourt helped to establish.
- Orlando di Lasso—Lagrime di San Pietro
This cycle of sacred madrigals by Lassus (or Lasso), himself arguably a greater figure even than Palestrina, represents in some ways the apex of his sacred music, and in some ways of his career overall. Lassus engineered this masterpiece using the tools of every style at his disposal (he had set texts in French, German, Italian, Dutch and Latin, and as such had absorbed all the major current styles of Europe at the time except the English), and added to that Paul van Nevel here recreates the manner of accompaniment authentic to Lassus’ court of employment—notice the proto-basso continuo (even involving a harpsichord!), and the wind ensemble. There is chromaticism, beautiful melodic lines, intricate polyphony and word-painting here in abundance; something to please everybody! This disc is certainly reason alone no. 3 to buy this set.
- Jacobus Gallus—Opus musicum, Missa super ‘Sancte Maria’
Gallus, confusingly also known as Handl, represents the nascent German school of polyphony, which was eventually (along with some English musicians) to push the Renaissance style onwards into the 17th century when most had already moved on. So the collection of motets entitled ‘Opus musicum’ (from which 14 have been extracted for this disc) contains some astonishingly forward-thinking devices, ranging from Gesualdo-style extreme chromaticism in ‘Mirabile misterium’ to the somewhat polychoral ‘O beata Trinitas’ (with both suspiciously-Baroque and extremely archaic harmonies all over the place!), and in between plenty of standard Renaissance polyphony worthy of Palestrina and Lassus. This disc ends with a mass containing more of the same sort of stuff!
- Canções, Vilancicos e Motetes Portugeses
A selection of jolly Portuguese songs here, with a bit of a venture into the 17th century. The distinctive Portuguese style in these songs is a curious synthesis of Renaissance polyphony (presumably derived from whatever fashionable madrigals made there way that far across the Iberian peninsula) with snatches of Baroque harmony, all the while with pretty little melodic phrases. I particularly recommend Fernandes’ ‘Botay fora’. Later on there a few very Morales-esque Anonymous 16th century motets, and the disc ends with a wonderful bit of 17th century opera, rather like a much more sophisticated Baroque version of the Flecha burlesques from earlier.
- João Lourenço Rebelo—Vesper Psalms and Lamentations
The last disc is more Baroque Portuguese fare, but this time much more sacred. Much like his near-contemporary Allegri, Rebelo writes in a deliberately old-fashioned style, but still taking (almost) full-advantage of the various harmonic innovations of the Baroque. The Vesper Psalms are rather more Monteverdi-esque (perhaps unsurprisingly, they are particularly reminiscent of the Monteverdi Vespers of 1610) with a suitably grand instrumental accompaniment (at the time Rebelo was writing, this style was of course still rather antiquated from the point of view of the rest of contemporary Europe). All in all a wonderfully majestic close to a fantastic series of CDs, for which Paul van Nevel and the Huelgas ensemble deserve much praise.
